Teachable Review 2026: Solid Course Platform With Transaction Fees That Bite
by Teachable (Hotmart) · Last updated March 2026
Teachable is one of the most recognized names in online course creation, but its 2026 pricing structure reveals a platform that increasingly charges more for less. The Starter plan's 7.5% transaction fee, strict student caps (100 on Starter, 1,000 on Builder), and a $15 chargeback fee regardless of outcome create a cost structure that requires careful math before committing. That said, Teachable's coaching features, built-in affiliate management, and Hotmart-backed infrastructure make it a legitimate contender for creators who need more than just courses.
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Key Facts — Teachable
Review by the Velocity AI Insights editorial team. Last updated March 2026.
Bottom Line
Teachable is a solid platform with genuinely useful coaching features, but its pricing structure punishes growth. The 7.5% transaction fee on Starter, strict student caps, and $15 chargeback fees create a cost environment where creators need to upgrade quickly or lose money to fees. For coaching-focused businesses or creators who need built-in affiliate management, Teachable delivers value. For pure course sellers focused on maximizing revenue, Thinkific's zero-fee structure is mathematically superior at virtually every revenue level.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Easy
Setup Difficulty
Free Tier
Pricing Model
Education
Target Industry
8+
Key Features
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What is Teachable?
Teachable is an online course and coaching platform acquired by Hotmart in 2020. The platform enables creators to build courses, coaching programs, and digital downloads with built-in payment processing (Teachable:pay), student management, and marketing tools. Teachable differentiates from pure course platforms by offering robust coaching product features with milestone tracking and scheduling, plus a built-in affiliate program that lets creators recruit promoters for their individual courses.
Key Features
The course builder supports video lessons, quizzes, completion certificates, and drip content scheduling. Multimedia uploads are straightforward with no file size restrictions on paid plans.
Coaching products with milestone tracking and scheduling let creators sell 1-on-1 and group coaching alongside courses. Milestones can be linked to specific actions or check-ins.
Built-in affiliate program management allows creators to recruit affiliates, set custom commission rates (1-100%), and track performance — without third-party tools.
Teachable:pay handles all payment processing in-house, supporting credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. International transactions incur an additional 1% surcharge.
Student management includes progress tracking, engagement analytics, and the ability to manually enroll or remove students. Course completion data feeds into built-in reporting.
API access on Builder+ plans enables custom integrations with CRMs, email platforms, and analytics tools.
Pricing Details
Teachable has no free plan (7-day trial + 30-day money-back guarantee). Starter is $39/mo ($29/mo annually) with 7.5% transaction fees, 5 published products, and 100 active students. Builder is $89/mo ($69/mo annually) with 0% platform fees, 10 products, and 1,000 students. Growth is $189/mo ($139/mo annually) with 50 products and 5,000 students. Advanced is $399/mo ($309/mo annually) with 100 products and unlimited students. All plans incur 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fees, plus 1% for international transactions. $15 chargeback fee per dispute.
Pros
The coaching product is genuinely well-built. Milestone tracking, scheduling, and direct messaging create a professional coaching experience that pure course platforms cannot match.
Built-in affiliate management is a revenue multiplier. Instead of paying for PartnerStack or ThriveCart, creators can recruit promoters directly within Teachable.
Hotmart backing provides financial stability and infrastructure investment. The platform is not going anywhere.
The 30-day money-back guarantee reduces risk. If the platform is not a fit, getting a refund is straightforward.
Cons
The 7.5% transaction fee on Starter is painful. On a $200 course sale, Teachable takes $15 in platform fees on top of the ~$6.10 in payment processing — that is $21.10 per sale. At $650/mo in revenue, you are paying more in fees than the $69/mo Builder subscription would cost.
Student caps force premature upgrades. The 100-student cap on Starter means a creator with a $49 course needs only 2 sales per month to start approaching the limit — and there is no grace period.
The $15 chargeback fee regardless of outcome punishes creators for buyer behavior they cannot control. Most payment processors absorb this cost or only charge if the dispute is lost.
International transactions incur an additional 1% surcharge (3.9% + $0.30 total), plus a 2% fee if using your own Stripe account instead of Teachable:pay.
Real-World Use Cases
Coaching businesses are Teachable's sweet spot. A career coach can sell a $1,997 coaching package with weekly video calls, milestone-based assignments, and completion certificates — all managed within one platform.
Course creators with affiliate networks benefit from built-in affiliate management. A marketing educator can recruit students-turned-affiliates to promote courses at 30% commission without external tools.
Budget-conscious first-time creators should do the math carefully. The Starter plan at $29/mo sounds affordable, but a creator selling a $100 course will pay $7.50 per sale in platform fees. After 10 sales ($75 in fees), upgrading to Builder ($69/mo, 0% fees) becomes the smarter financial move.
Implementation Difficulty: Easy
This tool is straightforward to set up and can typically be operational within a few days. Minimal technical expertise is required, and most businesses can handle the implementation in-house.
Our Verdict
Teachable is a solid platform with genuinely useful coaching features, but its pricing structure punishes growth. The 7.5% transaction fee on Starter, strict student caps, and $15 chargeback fees create a cost environment where creators need to upgrade quickly or lose money to fees. For coaching-focused businesses or creators who need built-in affiliate management, Teachable delivers value. For pure course sellers focused on maximizing revenue, Thinkific's zero-fee structure is mathematically superior at virtually every revenue level.
See How Teachable Compares
Before you decide, see how Teachable stacks up against the competition.
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